Electrical control system



Nov. 16, 1943. v R D AM DEN 2,334,528

ELECTRICAL CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Sept. 20; 1940 Inventor": Raiph D Amsden,

His Attorney Patented Nov. 16, 1943 orrica Ralph D. Amsden, Lynn, Mass., assignor to General Ele'ctricCompany, a corporation of New York Application September 20,1940, Serial No. 357,595

13 Claims.

My invention relates to electrical control systems, and more particularly to improvements in the automatic control of electrical energy supply sources of the type that are provided with an auxiliary storage battery, which supplies current to the-load in certain instances, and which is charged by the system when the main source of current supply is available.

In many cases it is extremely important that a dependable source of current for a load be available at all times. For example, emergency lighting systems for theatres or school buildings require current sources of this type. In such systems the main source of current is usually'an ordinary 110 volt alternating current supply, such able source of alternating current which is adapted'to supply direct current to a load ,H through a suitable rectifier circuitto be described hereinafter. As an auxiliary source of power, a

battery I! is likewise connected to the load I],

the arrangement being such that upon failure of the main source of supply constituting the alternating supply line Hi the battery will be connected into the circuit to supply current to the During normal T operation of the circult, the major portion of the rectified current is supplied directly to the load II; at the same time, a separate portion of the current is diverted 'to the battery [2'- to maintain the battery in as is customarily employed in a house lighting- 1 circuit, which is associated with a storage battery provided as a stand-by or auxiliary source v v of current supply in order to secure utmost reliability. The battery is maintained in charged condition by the alternating current supply through a suitable control and rectifying system.

In accordance with my invention I provide an improved control in a system of this type which is so arranged that the charging current through the battery is automatically regulated to maintain the battery in fully charged condition irrespective of fluctuations in the supply current.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved electrical control system.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved control system which is provided with a storage battery as an auxiliary source of current supply.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a new and improved system for maintaining the battery in charged condition, the system being one which employs two rectifiers, one rectiiier being designed to supply automatically the.

necessary power to the load, in addition to a constant charge to the battery somewhat lowerthan that required to maintain the battery at full charge, the other rectifier being designed to supply the remaining increment of charging current to the battery under the control oi conditions of the battery.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a dia-v grammatic view of a control system constructed in accordance with my invention which employs dual rectiflers to supply the load and to maintain the auxiliary battery in fully charged condition, and Fig. 2 is a'm'odificaticn of the circuit shown in Fig. 1 in which a slightly different form of control means is employed.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a suitthe automatic control means provides for charging of the battery I! at an increased rate, which may becalled a boost charge, to restore the battery quickly to" fully charged condition; as soon as, this condition is reached the system is; restored to normal automatic operation during" which a continuous charging current to the storage battery.

.As aforementioned, my systememploys two separate charger or rectifying mechanisms. The. g first, which may be termed the maincharger', supplies the requirements or the load directly 1 and, in addition, supplies continuously the major portion of the current required to maintain the battery I: in fully charged condition. The sec ond, which may be termed the auxiliary charger,

supplies the final increment of current necesl sary to maintain the battery I! in fully charged condition, this finalcurrent being regulated within close limits. in accordance with the'voltage and temperaturs oi the battery.

Turning. now to the structure'of the main charger, this may boot the type disclosed in v Patent No. 2,082,607, issued to myself on June 1,

19371: assigned to the'same assignee as the instant application. As shown in Fig. l of the drawing, current is drawn from the alternating current supply line Hi to a transformer i3 and from the secondary winding of the transformer through a variable impedance winding H or a regulating saturable reactor to a full wave recti fler I! which, by way of example, may be of the copper oxide type. Included in the circuit with the transformer and rectifier is the coil of a relay II for a purpose to be described later One lead I8 of the output circuit of the rectifier is coni H nected directly to the load ii through the media um of a choke coil I! which acts as a filter to damp out any pulsations injthe current. .The

other lead 20 in. the output circuit of :the rectie is supplied her is connected to the direct current coil of the saturable reactor. This coil is differentially wound and is provided with an upper coil 2| and a lower coil 22 which buck each other so that the net eflect of the direct current coil on the saturable reactor is the difference in the ampere turns existing in the coils 2| and 22. Current from the output circuit of the rectifier flows through the lower coil 22, a line 23, through a normally closed contact 24 of a main contactor 25 and thence through a line 23 to the otherside of the load H; In this manner the rectifier l supplies the normal requirements or the load A portion of the current from the supply lead of the rectifier flows through the upper winds ing 2| thence through a lead 21 and resistance 28 to the minus side of the battery. Since the direct current coil of the saturable reactor is differentially wound, the elIect on the reactor is the net differential efiect oi the ampere turns relay 43'. controls the drop-out or closing value of the relay 33. The secondary relay 43 operates contacts 44 connected in shunt circuit relation with the rheostat 42; this relay is supplied with current from a portion of the secondary winding of the transformer 29. The relay 43 is operated by a time delayheater element in addition to being responsive to the ambient temperature of the battery and controls the dropout and pick-up positions of the automatic relay 33 within very close limits. The structural features of the control system comprising the relay 33, rheostats 4| and 42 and the relay 43 form no in the coils 2| and 22, so that the charging cur- I rent supplied to the battery l2 will be substantially constant irrespective of fluctuations of voltage in the supply line l0 and variations in the normal requirements of the load The operation or a saturable reactor and rectifier or this type is fully described in my aforementioned Patent No. 2,082,607. The arrangement is such that the rectifier I5 supplies all or the normal requirements or the load l. and, at the same time, supplies a continuous charging current to the I battery |2. Thesystem is so. designed that this charging current is always somewhat less than that. required to maintain the battery at full voltage. j The additional increment of charging Lcurrent required to maintain the battery at peak voltage-is supplied by the auxiliarycharger now .to be described.

The auxiliary charger is similar to that described and claimed'in my copending application on Control systems, Serial No. 229,129, flied September 9, 1938, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application. The charger is providedwith a transformer. 23 which receives current from the source oi alternating current It by way, orsupply lines 30 and 3|. Suppl of current to the transformer is controlled by contacts 32. in, the. supplyline 30, the contacts 32 being opened andclosed by an automaticrelay 33 operated in responseto the voltage or the battery 1 i2. A portion of the secondary oi the transformer 23 is connected directly to a full wave rectifier 34 which may be of the copper oxide type.

part of the present invention and are fully shown and described in my copending application, Serial No. 229,129 aforementioned. A resistor 45 is connected in series with the automatic relay 33 and the battery to give one more sequence of operation to the automatic relay in that when the resistor is in series it raises the cutout point of the automatic relay to give a slight overcharge to the battery. The resistor 45 may be short circuited upon closure of the contacts 40 of the contactor 25 through the medium of the aforementioned lead line 33 and a line 46 extending from the contacts 4|! to the resistor.

By the construction described it will be seen that the main rectifier i5 supplies the normal demands of the load H and, at the same time, supplies a continuous charging current to the battery i2 which is slightly less than that required to maintain the battery voltage at its proper value. The charging action of the rectifier 34 is supplementary to that of the rectifier l5 and provides the final increment or charge necessary to bring the battery up to full voltage. The auxiliary rectifier 34 is operated in .accordan'ce with the voltage of the battery through the medium of relay 33 whilev the main rectifier l5 operates continuously to supply a trickle charge to the 7 battery irrespective of the load onthe line and One or the output leads or the rectifier is connected by a line 35 to the load II and the plus side or the battery l2 through the filter I9 and a'line 36. The other output lead 31 from the rectifier is connected directly to the minus side of battery l2. Lead 31 from the rectifier is also connected by means or a lead 33 to the normally open contacts 33 and normally closed contacts 40 of the main contactor 25 for a purpose to be described later.

The operation oi therectifier 34 is controlled in accordance with-thebattery voltage through the medium of the aforementioned'automatic relay 33. When the battery voltage rises above a certain point the relay 33 is operated to open the contacts 32 thereby disconnecting the transformer. from the alternating current supply irrespective of the operation of the auxiliary rectifier 34; this trickle charge is maintained constant by the bucking action of the coils 2| and 22 on the direct current winding of the saturable reactor. In this manner the auxiliary rectifier monitors the continuous charging action of the main rectifier l5.

The contactor 25 is operated by a coil connected across the alternating current supply lines N by lead lines 5| and 52. Connected into the lead line 52 are the contacts 53 of the aforementioned relay l6 and likewise the contacts 54 of a relay 55 which is connected across the supply line by a line 55, line 30 and contact 32. The purpose of the relay 55 will be described hereinafter. The contacts 54 in the line 52 are shunted by contacts 51 on the contactor 25 so that current from one side of the supply line l3 may pass through the line 5|, coil 50, contacts 53, line 52, contacts 51 and line 58 to the other side or the line. In order to stabilize operation of the system at no load, a resistor 59 is connected across the load II by a lead line 33, contacts SI of the contactor 25 and the aforementioned lead line 23. The operation of the main and auxiliary chargers and the battery will now be described under normal load, under overload, and under emergency conditions.

Normal operation overload relay. The coil 50 of the main contactor 25 is energized by the supply line so that the contacts 24, GI, 40 and 51 are closed and the confying mechanism It is in addition to that shown,

by the drawing and may be connected to the battery I! in, any convenient manner'by a circuit- (not shown). Inasmuch as the contacts 52 are normally open the additional rectifying mechanism R is not utilized during normal operation of the system. This rectifying mechanism is not essential to the operation of the system herein disclosed; if desired it may be entirely omitted.

The rectifier it supplies the requirements of the load H in the manner aforementioned, one line to the load extending through the filter II, the other line extending through the lower coil 22 of the direct current winding of the saturable reactor and then through the line 2!, closed con- This breaks the circuit to the coil 50 of the main tacts 24 andline 25 to the load. A continuous trickle charge is also supplied to the battery through the upper half 2| of the saturating winding of the reactor, line 21 and resistor 25 to the minus side of the battery. 1 The value or the resistor 28 is so chosen with respect to the capacity of the main charger, the size of thebattery and the requirements of the load that a continuous trickle charge is provided for the battery irrespective of variations in the voltage of the supply current and in the normal load requirements. Current to the plus side of the battery is obtained through the aforementioned line It, filter l5 and line 25. Since the requirements of the load vary within normal limits, the coil of relay I5 permits the contacts 53 to remain in closed position, so that the coil 50 of the main contactor 25 is energized by line 5|, line 52, contacts 53, closed contacts]! to the other side of the input line. The contacts 51 form a shunt around the contacts 54 oi the relay 55 winch may or may not be closed depending upon whether or not the contacts 22 of the relay 33 are closed. Closure of contacts 32 energizes the relay 55 to open the contacts 54. The resistor 59 which stabilizes operation of the main rectifier under no load conditions is connected across theload by the lead'line 50, closed contacts 6 l and lead line 25.

The auxiliary charger which supplies the final increment of charging current to maintain the battery in fully charged condition may or may not be operating, depending upon the condition of thebattery at any particular time. If the battery voltage is low the automatic relay 52 closes the contact 32 supplying current to the primary of the transformer 29. Current is then supplied by the rectifier 34 directly to the battery l2. The points at which the relay 32 opens and closes are adjusted through the resistors 4!, 42 in the manner aforementioned and as more particularly described in my copending application, Serial No. 229,129.. The relay operates the rectifier 34 to maintain the battery voltage at proper value within very close limits; in this manner the rectifler 34 supplements and monitors the continuous charging output of the main rectifier II. Inasmuch as the contacts of the main contactor 25 are in closed position, the resistance 45 is short circuited. If the resistance 45 were to remain in the circuit with the automatic relay N, the voltage at which the contacts 32 open would be the load. The contacts 52 are also now in closed raised so that after a severe drain on the battery, such as might occur during an overload or power failure, the battery would be given a slight overcharge.

Overload operation If an overload is applied to the system adcli tional current passes through the main rectifier l5 and the secondary of the transformer H as well as the coil of the overload relay l6, thereby operating this relay to open the contacts 53.

contactor 25, causing the contactor to open. When this occurs contacts 39 and 52 close and contacts 24, 5|, 40 and 51 are opened. Opening or the main contactor 25 opens the contacts 51 to throw out the holding circuit for the coil through these contacts. Since the contacts 40' are now open, the resistor 45 is placed in series with the other resistances controlling the automatic relay 5!. thereby lowering the voltage applied to the relay causing the contacts 52 to close, if they are not already in closed position, and initiating operation of the auxiliary charger to supply current to the battery l2. Closure of contacts 32 likewise causes operation of relay 55 to open the contacts 54 in the line 52 supplying current to the holding coil of the main contactor 25. Opening or contacts 5! of the main contactor opens the circuit to the stabilizing resistor 59 which is normally placed across the load H. Opening'of thecontacts 24 of the main contactor 25 breaks the circuit of the rectified current through the lower coil 22 to the load ll thereby destroying the differential control of the windings 2| and 22 of the saturable reactor, so that the reactor is saturated and a maximum voltage applied to the rectifier. passes to the load through the upper winding 2|, line 21 and resistance 28, which is the normal path taken by the trickle charge to the battery, line 55, closed contacts I! and line 25; closure of.c.ontacts 39 likewise throws the battery across position so that current from the supply line i. is supplied to the additional rectifying mechanism R to supply additional current to the load or battery as the case may be in those situations wherethe additional rectifier is employed. when the contaetor 25 opens, contacts $5 of the contactor remain in closed position-due to a lost motion connection 55 between the operating mechanism of. the main contactor 25 and the contacts 55. This means that power is still supplied to the primary of the transformer I3 so that the main charger continues to supp y the requirements of the overload. It will thus be seen that upon overload the main charge! it op erating at full capacity at arr-increased or "boost" rate to supply the requirements of the overload, since the diiferentlal control 01 the reactor coils 2| and 22 has'been removed. At the same time, the auxiliary charger is operating continuously to su y the needs of the battery iii. If the need of t 1's overload is large enough current may also b taken from the battery H to suppiementthat received from the main charger.

Upon removal of the overload, the overload relay l5 closes the contacts 53 but the coil 50 of the main contactor 25 remains deenergized due to the fact that both the contacts 51 and 54 are in open position. This means that the main contactor 25 remains in open position and the main charger and auxiliary charger continue to operate at their "boost" rates until the battery The output of the rectifier now i2 is fully charged. In other words, immediately *tery l2.

after overloads the difierential' control of the coils 2| and 22 of'th'e saturable 'reactor is not employed to control the output of the main rectifier I5, since the contacts 24 are in open position so that the full output of the rectifier I5 is utilized tqsupply the requirements of a normalload as well'asass'ist in replacing the charge in the batte'ry l2 along with theoutput of the auxiliary rectifier 34. resistance 45'is in series with the relay 33 raising the"voltag'e in the'battery necessary to operate the'rela'y and therebycausing a slight overcharge as be placed'in the battery.

When the'voltage of the battery l2 reaches the point equivalent to a slight overcharge the Since the contacts 40 are open the automatic relay 33 picks up opening the contacts relay 55 and permits the contacts 5 l to return t'o'closed position. Upon closure of. contacts 5 the coil 50 of the main contact, 25 is energized "closing-its contactor causing the contacts 24, 3|, '40- and' 51 to return to closed position and the contacts Hand 62 to return, to open position. This means that the main charger is thrown on to its "normal operation underthe control of the differential coils 2| and 22 in which itsupplies the requirements of the load ll and, in addition, maintains a continuous trickle charge to the batv At thesame time, the auxiliary charger continues to operate in response to the voltage of Y the battery through the control or the automatic relay 33-. l

The main chargervis not immediately .thrown into normal operation since provision must be madto permit the large flux in the core of the saturable reactor .to collapse before returning the 1 reactor to the differential control of the windings 21 and 22.

' mentarily opened during closure of the main contactor 25 by-the lost motion connection. 55 so that the current supply to the primary of the transformer I3 is interrupted permitting the mag- A To this'end, thecontacts- 65 are monetic flux in the reactor to collapse. The conta'cts 65 are reclosed'after-a predetermined time,

for example, one-halfsecond, by a spring 61 acting against a dashpot 61, so that themaincharger is immediately thrown into normal operation.

T During the momentary period when the main charger is inoperative current to the load is sup plied by the battery 12. 1 The batteryis well able to supply this current since it has been slightly overcharged durin the period in which the chargers operated at their boost rate. The contacts 65 are momentarily opened and closed before contacts 39' open so that the battery suppliesthe load .throughline 38, contacts 39 and line 25. Y v

It will be apparent that the contacts '51 are necessary toform aholding circuit for the main coil-,50around. the contacts because the latter throws-the load over on the battery 12 because the contacts 33 are moved to closed position. I! the power failure was of relatively short duration, the voltage of thebattery l2 will not have 1 decreased materially so that the automatic relay 32.""Thi's"breaks the circuit to the coilof the a 33 will not have moved to a position to close the contacts 32. This means that the contacts 55 will have remained in closed position and as soon as the power comes on the coil 50 of the main contactor will be energized, thereby closing the contactor and restoring the main and auxiliary chargers to normal operation. However, it the power failure has occurred for a relatively long period of time, then the voltage of the battery l2 will have decreased to a point to operate the automatic relay 33 and thereby close the contacts 32. -When the power comes on the relay 55 is immediately energized and having a higher speed than that of the main contactor 25 opens the contacts 54 before the main coil 50 of the contactor can be energized to close the main contactor. This means that the main charger is thrown into boost" operation, such as is the case when an overload occurs on the system, so that the differential control of the windings 2| and 22 is inefiective thereby supplying the full output of the rectifier l5 to the battery l2 and the requirements of the load. In this manner the battery is fully recharged after a long failure in the current supply. Upon recharge oi the battery the automatic relay 33 is operated to open the contacts 32 and thereby deenergize the coil of the relay permitting the contacts 54 to close and throwing the contactor 25 to'closed position, thereby returning the main charger to normal operation.

By my construction it will be seen that during the periods of normal load the main charger supplies the requirements of the load through the differential control of the rectifier l5 and, in addition, provides a continuous trickle charge to the battery l2 which is somewhat lower than the requirements of the battery to maintain it at 'full voltage. The additional increment of charge necessary to maintain the battery at full voltage is supplied intermittently by the auxiliary charger in response to control of the automatic relay 33. Under conditions of overload the differential control of the main'charger'is rendered ineflective so that the full output of the rectifier I5 is supplied to meet the needs of the overload contacts maybe opened or closed depending upon the-operation of the relay 55 under the control of the automatic relay 33 of the auxiliary charger;

the latter relay is operated in accordance with fluctuations in voltages of ,the' battery. Were it I not for the holding contacts 51, every time the contacts 54. operated-in response to the opera- .tion of the auxiliarygihargenthe main contactor 25 would be thrown over into overload operation.

' Emergency operation- Upon failure of the current supply source the" primaries of the transformers I3 and 29 become deenergized and likewise the coil 50 of the main as well as supply any additional current to the battery l2, in case the requirements of the overload makes demands on the battery. After removal of the overload the full or boost output of the rectifier I5 is maintained, as well as that of the rectifier 34, until the battery i2 is brought back to a condition of full charge. At this point,

due to the fact that the resistance 55 is placed in series with the automatic relay 33 during the period of overload and boost.charge the battery is given a slight overcharge to'supply current during the momentaryinterval during which the flux in the saturable reactor is allowed to collapse.

In case of power failure the system is immediately thrown into operation to connect the battery I2 *to the load. In case the failure of power is for a relatively short duration the system is immediately'thrown back into normal operation, whereas in case the failure of power is for a relatively long period, the system is thrown into overload or "boost" operation upon resumption of power until such time as the battery l2 has been restored to normal condition.

Any ripples in the output current of the rectifler i5 are dampened by the choke coil l9 and are in addition by-passed by a condenser 68 connected across the output leads of the rectifier II. An additional safeguard in damping out any ripples in the direct current supplied to the load II is provided for by the condenser 69 connected across the load line.

Fig. 2 of the drawing illustrates a modification of my invention in which a reverse current relay replaces the overload relay i8 to secure a more uniform and reliable operation of the system under conditions of overload. Otherwise the arrangemert of the elements in the system is substantially the same as the arrangement shown by Fig. 1. In place of the overload relay I 6 a reverse current relay 10 is provided with the potential coil II in series with the resistance 59 and connected across the load. The current coil 12 of the reverse current relay is included in the trickle charge circuit of the main charger so that it is connected to the minus side of the battery by the line 38 and likewise to the coil 2i oi the saturable reactor by the line 21. The resistance 28 in the line 21, in the form of the invention shown by Fig. 1, is. replaced by the resistance of the current coil 12. Under certain conditions to be described latter the current coil" is shorted out of the circuit whenever the' contacts 62 of the main contactor 2B are closed. In the form of the invention shown byTlg. 2 the additional rectifying mechanism R is omitted and is not controlled by the contacts 62. The contacts 53 which control the current to the main coil 50 of the contactor 25 are operated by the reverse current relay, in the form of the invention shown by Fig. 2 rather than by the overload relay l8, as shown by Fig. 1. Otherwise, the operation of the circuit of Fig. 2 is substantially the same as that of Fig. 1.

In normal automatic operation, current from the rectifier 15 passes from one terminal through the line l8, the filter choke [9 to one side of the load line 36. Current from the other output terminal of the rectifier passes to the differential winding of the saturable reactor. The load portion of the current passing through the lower winding 22, line 23, closed contacts 24; line 26 to the load H. The battery charging portion of the current passes through the upper coil 2|, line 21 through the potential coil 12 of the reverse current relay to the minus side of the battery by line 38. This flow of current through the coil 12 maintains the contacts 53 in closed position so that the holding coil 50 maintains the contactor 25 in closed position, current passing to the holding coil from one side 0! the supply line through the closed contacts 51 and 53 to the other side. The auxiliary charger supplies current from the rectifier 3| under the control of the automatic relay 33 to maintain the battery in fully charged condition, the same as in the arrangement shown by Fig. 1

Upon the application oi! an overload the trickle charging current passing through current coil '12 decreases as a result of the action of the differential windings 2| and 22 of the saturable reactor so that the voltage through the line is reduced; inasmuch as the battery has been maintained in a fully charged position by the auxiliary charger the battery pumps back through the line 38 and the coil 12 o! the reverse curis moved to open position.

rent relay thereby opening the contacts 53. 7

When this occurs the holding coil 50 of the main contactor is deenergized to open the contactor 25. This closes the contacts 62 on-the main contactor so that the main charger operates at its maximum capacity and current from the rectifier i5 flows through the upper coil 2|, lead line 21, around the current coil 12 through theclosed contacts 62 to' the minus side of the battery and through the closed contacts 39, line 26 to the load. In this manner the main charger meets the full requirements of the load, any excess current being applied to charging the battery l2. During overload the auxiliary-charger operates in response to the voltage on the battery under the control of the automatic relay 3! in the same manner as the structure described in Fig. 1.

Upon return of the system from an overload to a normal condition the system returns to either an automatic operation or to a boost operation in the same manner as the structure shown by Fig. 1 depending upon whether or not the overload has continued, for a relatively short or a relatively long period or time. In case the voltage of the battery has been lowered due to a prolonged overload, the contacts 32 of the automatic relay 33 will be closed so that the contacts 54 of the relay 55 will be in open position. This means that the system will continue to operate at a boost charging rate to bring the voltage of the battery up to normal. When this occurs the contacts 32 open, thereby deenergizing the coil of relay 55 and closing the contacts 54 so that current is once more applied to the holding coil 50 of the main contactor, thereby causing the contacts to close. This opens up the shorting contacts 62 around the current coil 12 of the reverse current relay, so that the trickle charging current from the main rectifier i5 passes through the coil I2 closing the contacts 53 thereby completing the holding circuit through the contacts 51 around the relay 5! and contacts 54.

The emergency operation of the system is the same as that described in connection with Fig. 1 in that upon failure of power the transformers l3 and 29 are deenergized as well as the holding coil 50 of the contactor, so that the latter This permits the battery to be connected directly to the load through the line 21, closed contacts 39 and line 28. Upon resumption of power, the system returns either to normal or "boost" operation depending upon whether the failure 01 power occurred for a short or long interval.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A control system for supplying direct current to a load circuit and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a charger operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load currents, differentially acting means responsive respectively to the battery charging current and load current for similarly controlling the voltage applied by the charger to the load circuit and battery so as to maintain said battery current less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, and means responsive to an overload on the load circuit for modifying the control of said differentially acting means whereby the maximum output of said charger is,

of alternating current comprising, in combination, a charger operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load currents, differentially acting means responsive respectively to the battery charging current and load current for similarly controlling the voltage applied by the charger to the load circuit and battery so as to maintain said battery current less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, means responsive to an overload on the load circuit for modifying the control of said difierentially acting means whereby the maximum output of said charger is supplied to the load and battery, and an auxiliary charger operatively connected to the supply circuit and being operated independently of the load but in response to the voltage of said battery for supplying additional charging current to the battery to make the normal charging requirements of said battery;

3. A control system for supplying direct current to a load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a

rectifier operatively connected to the current source for supplying battery chargin and load currents, means responsive to the battery chargcircuit and a charging current to the battery through another circuit, means responsive to an overload for rendering ineffective said control means whereby the maximum output of said rectifier is supplied to the load and battery through said other circuit, and means responsive to the voltage of said battery for restoring the effectiveness of said control means upon return to normal load.

4. A control system for supplying direct current to a load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a main rectifier operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load current, means responsive to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said rectifier whereby said rectifier supplies the normal load requirements through one circuit and a charging current tothe battery through another circuit less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, means re sponsive to an overload for rendering inefiective said control means whereby the maximum output of said main rectifier is supplied to the load.

and battery through said other circuit, an auxiliary rectifier operatively connected to the supply circuit and being operated independently of the load but in response to the voltage of said battery for supplying an additional increment of battery charging current to fulfill the normal charging requirements of the battery, and means responsive to the voltage of said battery for restoring eifectiveness of said control means upon return to normal load.

5. A control system for supplying direct current to a load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a

charger operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load current, means responsive to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said charger whereby said charger supplies the normal load requirements through one circuit and a charging current to the battery through another circuit less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, means responsive to an overload for rendering ineffective said control means whereby the maximum output of said charger is supplied to the load and battery through said other circuit, and means acting upon return to normal load and being responsive to the voltage of the battery for maintaining said charger at maximum ouput until the battery is fully charged.

6. A control system for supplying direct current toa load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a main rectifier operatively connected to the supply current, means responsive to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said rectifier whereby said rectifier supplies the normal load requirements through one circuit and a charging current to the battery through another circuit less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, a second rectifier operatively connected to the supply circuitand being operated independently of the load but in response to the voltage of the battery for supplying an additional increment of battery charging current to fulfill the normal charging requirements of the battery, means responsive to an overload for rendering ineffective said control means whereby the maximum output of said main rectifier is supplied to the load through said other circuit, and means acting upon return to normal load and being responsive to the voltage of said battery for maintaining the maximum charging output of said main and second rectifiers to fully charge said battery.

7. In a system for supplying a direct current load from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a battery, a charger for said battery, a relay responsive to the battery voltage controlling the operation of said charger for maintaining said battery in fully charged condition, means responsive to failure of the current source to connect said battery to the load, an impedance, and means responsive to restoration of the current supply for connecting said impedance in circuit with said relay to provide an overcharge of said battery.

8. In a system for supplying a direct current load from a source of alternating current, a battery, a charger for said battery, said charger being provided with control means responsive to the voltage of said battery for maintaining said battery in' fully charged condition, means responsive to failure of the current source for connecting said battery to the load, means responsive to restoration or the supply current for adjusting said control means to provide an overcharge of said battery, and means responsive to the overcharge in said battery to render said adjusting means ineffective and to return said control means to normal operation.

9. In a system for supplying a direct current load from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a battery, a charger for said battery, said charger being provided with control means responsive to the voltage of said battery for maintaining said battery in fully charged condition, means responsive to an overload on said system-to connect said battery to the load, means responsive to restoration of normal load to said system for adjusting said control means to provide anovercharge 0! said battery, and means responsive to the overcharge of said battery to render said adjusting means ineffective to return said control means to normal operation.

10. A control system for supplying direct current to a load and battery from a source alternating current comprising, in combination, a main charger operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load currents, means responsive to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said charger whereby said charger supplies the normal load requirements through one circuit and charging current to the battery through another circuit less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, a second charger operatively connected to the supply circuit and being operated independently or the load' on the system but in response to the voltage of said battery for supplying an additional increment of battery charging current to fulfill the normal charging requirements of the battery, means responsive to an overload on the system for rendering inefl'ective said controlling means whereby the maximum output of said main charger is supplied to the load and battery through said other circuit, and means responsive to the voltage of said battery in fully charged condition for restoring the control of said means to return said main charger to normal operation, said last-mentioned means stopping the operation of said second charger.

11. A control system ior supplying direct current to a load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a main charger operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load currents, means responsive to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said charger whereby said charger supplies the normal load requirements through one circuit and a charging current to said battery through another circuit less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, a second the normal requirements or the battery. means responsive to failure or said current supply for placing the battery in circuit with the load, means acting on restoration or the current supply tor rendering ineffective said control means whereby the maximum output of said main charger is supplied to the load and battery through said other circuit, and means responsive to the voltage of said battery for restoring the effectiveness of said control means upon a fully charged condition of the battery.

12. A control system for supplying direct current to a load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a charging mechanism including a rectifier operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load currents, means responsive to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said charger whereby said charger supplies the normal load requirements through one circuit and a charging current to the battery through another circuit less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, and means including ,an overload switch in the input circuit of the rectifier for rendering ineflective said control means whereby the maximum output oi said charger is supplied to the load through said other circuit.

13. A control system for supplying direct cur-- rent to a load and battery from a source of alternating current comprising, in combination, a

rectifier operatively connected to the supply circuit for supplying battery charging and load currents, differentially acting means responsive respectively to the battery charging and load currents for controlling the operation of said rectifier so that the voltage applied to the load and battery is such as to maintain said battery charging current less than the normal charging requirements of the battery, and a reverse current relay operated by said diiferentially acting means to so modify saiddiiIerentially acting means that the maximum current of said charger is applied to the load and battery.

RALPH n. msnrm. 

